SPRING SPORTS
Rice, Ritter feature for Razorbacks, Red Wolves
Spring sports are in full swing and a number of local graduates are featuring for their teams at the college level, including two Lakeside graduates at the state’s two largest universities.
LAKESIDE
Tatum Rice
The Arkansas Razorbacks’ women’s tennis team is slumping through the month of March, but 2017 Lakeside graduate Tatum Rice and her doubles partner, junior Ana Oparenovic, are storming through the spring season as the team’s most dominant pairing.
Arkansas (5-9, 1-0 Southeastern Conference) was 5-4 and 1-0 in the SEC after a 4-1 victory at Missouri on March 2. The Razorbacks have since lost four in a row to conference opponents.
A comeback bid in singles play came up short Saturday as Texas A&M (12-4, 3-3) held off the Razorbacks, 4-2, at the George P. Mitchell Tennis Center. Arkansas claimed the doubles point, as usual, before the Aggies picked up four singles points.
“You’ve got to give both teams so much credit for their performances out here today,” said Arkansas head coach Michael Hegarty. “The match came down to a few points, and I was so impressed with the hunger and fight we displayed from start to finish.”
Rice and Oparenovic won, 6-4, at No. 1 doubles to improve to
11-1 in the spring and 3-1 in conference play. They were ranked No.
30 in Division I by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association in the last rankings released on March 6.
Rice’s sister, Thea Rice, will join the team next year after signing with Arkansas in November.
Luke Lefler
Hendrix College’s men’s tennis team is in the middle of an extended break. The Warriors dropped to 0-5 on March 2 with a 7-2 loss to Blue Mountain College, but Lakeside graduate Luke Lefler picked up a come-from-behind win in the No. 3 spot in singles for one of the team’s two points.
Lefler is now in his junior season with the Warriors. Hendrix’s next match is March 30.
Bo Ritter
Lakeside alum Bo Ritter had five appearances and a 2.63 ERA, second-best for the Arkansas State Red Wolves (8-9, 0-3 Sun Belt Conference), before a road game against the Missouri Tigers (16-5) Wednesday.
The senior pitched a scoreless inning for the Red Wolves in the first game of the midweek series on Tuesday. He pitched four scoreless innings in his last outing, a 3-1 home loss to Coastal Carolina (16-7, 3-0) on March 16.
Ritter gave up three earned runs in 2 2/3 innings in his first appearance this season and has since given up only one run in 11 innings of relief.
The Red Wolves will head to Louisiana-Monroe (11-8, 1-2) for a conference series this weekend.
Race Tittle
Race Tittle, a 2017 graduate, is a freshman for the Arkansas-Pine Bluff Golden Lions (6-10, 3-3 Southwestern Athletic Conference).
Pine Bluff will be on the road this weekend for a SWAC series in Houston with Texas Southern (7-13, 4-1).
Erick Aguirre, Brandon Hall
Lakeside graduate Brandon Hall is listed as a sophomore first baseman and third baseman on Arkansas Baptist College’s baseball roster. Fellow Lakeside alum Erick Aguirre is listed as a freshman catcher.
The Buffaloes are currently 1-17.
Hall and Aguirre are both listed with batting averages of .111, according to stats reported to the National Junior College Athletic Association.
Arkansas Baptist is scheduled to play at Connors State today. Carter West
North Arkansas College was 8-18 heading into Wednesday’s home game against State Fair Community College from Missouri. Lakeside graduate Carter West is a freshman first baseman and third baseman for the Pioneers.
West is batting .306 with four home runs, three doubles, 24 RBIs,
10 runs, an on-base percentage of .394 and a slugging percentage of
.548 in 23 games this season.
Logan DeRosier, John Youngblood
Henderson State (16-10, 11-4 Great American Conference) has a weekend series starting Friday at league-leading Arkansas-Monticello (17-7, 12-3) after a midweek 7-1 loss to Mississippi College (18-4).
Henderson senior Logan DeRosier, a Lakeside graduate and a transfer from Coffeyville Community College in Kansas, pitched an inning of scoreless relief Tuesday in his first appearance in a
month to improve his ERA to 15.75.
Redshirt freshman Jon Youngblood has not appeared this season for the Reddies.
Tucker Pratt
Lakeside alum Tucker Pratt ran with Hendrix teammates Levi Jones, Avery Gauthier, and Michael Spainhour at Central Arkansas to place fourth on March 10 in the UCA Relays in the 4x100-meter relay with a time of 42.68 seconds.
Pratt is a junior on the roster and competes in sprint events.
Hendrix is scheduled to compete in the Dan Veach Invitational at Southern Arkansas in Magnolia on March 30. Cameron McRae
Lakeside alum Cameron McRae shot a 1-under-par 71 on March 13 in the second round of the Dave Falconer Classic at Chamberlyne Country Club to finish in a tie for 11th place overall.
McRae competed as an individual for Henderson State. He lettered last season for the Reddies after transferring from Arkansas State, where he competed in eight tournaments as a freshman.
Henderson competed in Central Oklahoma’s Broncho Invitational Monday and Tuesday. The Reddies will host the HSU Invitational on April
2-3 at Big Creek Golf Course & Country Club in
Submitted photo